Grandma-forgets-to-take-her-meds disease

Clearly, there's a growing pile of cash waiting for those building housing, providing meals and dishing medical treatment to the elderly. This is, after all, the fastest growing demographic in Canada, with the number of people over 85 set to triple in the next 20 years. In Canada, public money has mostly left the game of housing and caring for Grandma, largely because the private market does such a fine job. And with less pesky red tape and fewer regulations, private property developers and private "care agencies" are teaming up with a host of care providers to meet the growing gamut of Grandma's needs.Some seniors use a dosette, or bubble pack, with a week's worth of medications arranged under clear plastic bubbles; this makes it easier for caregivers to determine if Grandma has been "compliant." A missed pill may signal the end of independent living for her; she may now need "medication assistance."That's old fashioned thinking. Today's medical care industry streamlines Grandma into "assisted living," where private-care home operators are amply set up with the most elaborate of protocols, care schedules, and mandatory social activities to treat most cases of "Grandma-forgets-to-take-hermeds" disease.